


Got You

by MintSauce



Series: The Halfway House [18]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: F/M, M/M, babies again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-25
Updated: 2015-04-25
Packaged: 2018-03-25 18:43:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3820846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintSauce/pseuds/MintSauce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian and Mickey meet another little Milkovich addition. It finally all feels more like family should.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Got You

**Author's Note:**

> So this is just a short thing that's kind of necessary for another part I'm going to write.

Meeting Toby wasn’t quite like meeting Ellie.

There was no grand moment, there was no instant love. There was just Iggy beaming proudly as he held out his squirming son.

Toby was darker skinned, Hispanic like Iggy’s girlfriend and the blue of the Milkovich eyes looked chilling in his little face. He was all gummy smiles though when he saw them, hands reaching.

A few months old and the first thing Iggy did was apologise. “Didn’t know it would be this fucking hectic,” he says, watching Mickey carefully as he takes the child. “Didn’t have the fucking time to call.”

Iggy’s girlfriend, Marnie wanders past and slaps him lightly. “Language,” she warns and Iggy mumbles something of a quiet apology.

Marnie is beautiful if you catch her in the right light. Otherwise she’s pretty plain looking. Especially now, so tired and with only one side of her hair brushed properly. She’s make-up free and there’s a small, but noticeable scar beneath her eye.

She smiles when she sees them though, obviously means it and despite the exasperated sighs, the way she looks at Iggy says enough. They’re happy together, handling the baby like Mandy should have been able to do with Jake.

It’s a nice sight. It’s nice to see Iggy being a father, how he can’t seem to take his eyes off of his son.

“He’s cute,” Ian says and he means it, peering over Mickey’s shoulder to look down into the baby’s face.

He blows a spit bubble up at them both and Ian laughs quietly. “Already got the Milkovich charm, I see.”

Marnie huffs, “Hasn’t he ever.”

They all laugh, Iggy in particular. It’s got a proud note to it.

“Didn’t think I could be this proud of something that just eats, shits and sleeps,” Iggy admits, clutching onto the coffee Marnie hands him with both hands, like it’s a lifeline. “But there you go.”

Ian shrugs, not surprised. “That’s fatherhood,” he says. Even if he wouldn’t know exactly.

Iggy nods.

“You heard from any of the other dipshits?” Mickey asks, handing the baby over to Ian now he’s apparently had his complete fill. Ian happily settles back with Toby cradled in his arms, plays with the babies fingers.

He loves babies. And not in a creepy, pedo way just… he loves the purity of them. He loves how they’re a fresh start, a new generation. He loves all the possibilities that are laid out for them.

Hates how it’s parents that can snuff those possibilities out.

He likes seeing good parents though, knows how rare they are.

One day, he thinks he might be able to have this. Be parents, good or bad or somewhere in the middle with Mickey. A little soul for them to shape. He’s not sure if it will ever happen, but he likes to picture it.

He comes back into the conversation as Mickey’s saying, “So what’s Jamie like? Don’t think I met him.”

Iggy shrugs, peers over the top of his coffee. He looks like shit honestly, but happy shit. “Probably not. He’s… _pfft_ , what? Three years younger than Mandy so… nah you wouldn’t remember him. Aunt Helen took him in on and off. He still turned out fucked up, but at least not _Terry_ fucked up, you know?”

Mickey nods. “What’s he doing with himself now?”

Ian hasn’t known Mickey to be curious about his brothers before, not really. But then he supposes, Mickey hadn’t known he should be until they’d run into Iggy.

It’s nice, seeing Mickey being able to bond with a family member other than Iggy. It’s nice he has someone else to fall back on.

Iggy scratches the back of his hair and his hair sticks up with grease when he does. “Last I heard he was in some garage. Dropped out when he could, so it’s probably good he’s got that much,” he says. “Sells some coke on the side too, but don’t we all.”

He smirks then, looks Mickey dead in the eye and he looks proud like he does when he looks at his son. “Well, not all of us.”

It’s funny how in so many ways, in another world, that probably could have come across as an insult. It’s clear here though that Iggy means it for what it is. He’s just glad that one of them seemed to escape the cesspit that was the Milkovich family trade.

“You got yourself a proper job now?” Ian asks, looking up from where he was watching Toby’s eyes start to slip shut.

Iggy shrugs, “Some part time shit. Garage again, but I’m looking.”

Ian doesn’t even hesitate when he says, “You should swing by the gym I work at some time. Think they’re looking for a new janitor. It wouldn’t be bad, just mopping out showers and stuff mostly, but it’ll pay pretty well and I can give you a reference.”

Iggy looks floored.

“You’d do that?” he asks.

Ian nods. “Well we’re family right?”

He glances at Mickey out of the corner of his eye, feels the weight of his stare but he’s not going to bow underneath it. He wants to do this. He wants to be supportive of Mickey’s family where his own wasn’t of Mickey. He wants to make Iggy like him, to not be even a factor in Mickey losing this.

Iggy grins and lurches forwards to clasp Ian’s free hand between his. “You’re a good fucking dude, man!” he says. He looks at Mickey. “You should definitely keep him.”

Mickey snorts, and when Ian finally looks at him, there’s a thank you written all over his face. He doesn’t need to say it, Ian doesn’t even think he wants him to. So he just nods and looks back down at the baby, a little embarrassed if he’s being honest.

“I’m planning on it,” Mickey says.

Ian can feel his own blush rising.

 _Is this what family feels like then?_ Ian thinks. He’s not been so sure what the feeling is anymore. But he thinks it’s probably this.

The pride of a baby and the willingness to lend each other a hand when they need it. When they ask and even when they don’t.

He likes this sort of family. Likes this feeling.

But it just makes him understand and resent his own even more.

“Go take a fucking shower, man,” Mickey says when Ian tunes back in. “You stink like shit.”

Iggy sniffs himself in an exaggerated way and then pulls a face. He has to admit he does. It’s not like they don’t understand, but it would definitely do the guy good to stand under a hot spray for a couple of minutes. “At least it ain’t my shit,” he says, shrugging. “Mostly.”

Mickey pretends to retch, but relaxes when his brother finally makes his way over to the bathroom.

“You too, Marnie,” Ian says, smiling at the woman who was busy pottering around with the dishes in the kitchen. “We can do that. Go lie down or something.”

On cue, Mickey stands up and nudges her out of the way with a hip. He plunges his hands into the soapy water and starts washing the dishes like it were his own home. Or well… not quite like it was his own home since getting Mickey to do with dishes there was like pulling teeth.

“That your way of saying I look like crap, Ian Gallagher?” she asks and there’s the beautiful Marnie, Ian can see. She’s looking at him, smirking with a hip cocked against the doorway. She looks tired still, but it’s something in her eyes, a life there that makes her so beautiful so suddenly.

“Yeah,” Ian says, beaming. He insists, “Get some sleep,” and she goes, presses a kiss to her son’s forehead on the way past.

“You guy wake me if you need anything!” she says, looking worried for only a split second before her eyes focus on the way Toby is sucking on the tip of Ian’s finger in his sleep.

“We’ve got this,” Ian says and from the kitchen Mickey offers a quiet affirmative, dish water splashing louder than his voice. Ian looks down at the baby, at another little Milkovich that he gets the pleasure to know. “I’ve got you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me at: [themintsauce](http://themintsauce.tumblr.com)


End file.
